Suffer the Children
by Nelowl
Summary: Carson has to call on all his strength to protect children in his care from an evil gang
1. Chapter 1

He stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out over the beautiful landscape. He rubbed his eyes wearily, and sighed. You would think he would be used to being exhausted by now; it was after all a regular occurrence since he came to the Pegasus Galaxy. However, this time the exhaustion seemed to go deeper than before. Even his bones seemed to ache.

For the last week, Dr Carson Beckett had spent every waking hour, and most of those when he should have been asleep, waging war against a nasty flu-like virus that had struck a planet with which the Athosian's traded on a regular basis. Halling had returned from a visit to the planet the previous week and had reported that a large percentage of the people were suffering from an illness. The elderly and children seemed to be worst affected.

Carson had braved a trip through the Stargate to go to help these people and had been able to devise a treatment that helped ease the symptoms and had prevented any more deaths among these gentle people. The adults had been able to shrug off the virus without much help. Rest and cough medicine had been enough to aid their recovery. The children had been another matter, and they had needed to be given a form of antibiotic that seemed to work against some of the side effects of the virus. Carson had also developed a vaccine which helped prevent the virus spreading further.

The children of this planet had particularly captured his heart. The first patient he had encountered had been a little girl with big brown eyes, and blond curls. Even though she was running a fever, and was coughing uncontrollably, she had managed to smile up at him with a look of trust in her eyes.

"Oh boy," said Rodney McKay, who was standing beside him at the time. "Now we are in trouble. You know our Carson," he said slapping his friend on the shoulder. "He never could resist a brown-eyed blonde."

John Sheppard laughed. "Just ignore him, Doc," he said slapping Carson's other shoulder. "He's just jealous."

Carson smiled at the memory. Calay, the little girl in question, was now recovering well. The makeshift isolation ward that they had set up in a cave now only had five patients left in it. His work was now almost over, and he would soon return to his home on Atlantis.

He looks out over the valley that was spread out before him. It reminded him of his other home in Scotland. The expanse of water reflected the mountains that towered over it, making them seem even more majestic. Carson could almost believe he was back home looking at Loch Lomond.

A gentle hand touched his arm. "Carson?" From the look on Teyla's face, it was obvious she had been calling him more than once.

"Sorry, love," Carson said. "I was miles away."

Teyla smiled gently. "In another galaxy?"

"Aye," he responded to, returning her smile. "You could say that." He turned to look at her an anxious look on his face. "The children are okay?"

"Yes, Carson," she said softly. "They are all responding well to your treatment. I came to tell you that Colonel Sheppard had been in contact with us. He is coming with more supplies for the people, and Dr Weir had suggested that you could perhaps benefit from a rest. She thought you could perhaps return with Colonel Sheppard to Atlantis."

"Aye, lass," Carson said with a grateful smile. "I'd like that." As he finished speaking, he started to cough. Teyla put her arm round him, a concerned look on her face.

"Carson," she said. "Are you now ill too?"

"I do feel slightly under the weather," the doctor admitted.

"But did you not to take some of the vaccine yourself?" Teyla asked.

Carson had a sheepish look on his face. "I wasn't sure if they would be enough to go around everyone," he admitted.

Teyla gave him an admonishing look. "Dr Beckett," she said. "You must learn to look after yourself as well as you look after your patients."

Carson nodded his head ruefully.

"Come now, Carson," Teyla said. "We must return to the cave, so that you can prepare yourself to return with Colonel Sheppard."

As they approached the cave, they could hear the coughing coming from the children. Even after treatment, the persistent cough seemed to remain. Carson had collected his equipment together while Teyla gave the children a soothing drink, made from local herbs, that seemed to work best to help ease their coughing. The noise of the coughing drowned out the noise of the approaching footsteps. The first that either of the adults knew of their visitors was when a harsh voice ordered them to stand.

Carson turned towards the doorway. Framed in the entrance to the cave, were six large men, all heavily armed. He glanced over at Teyla, who was already reaching for her weapon.

The man who was obviously leader of the group turned to the others. "Take the children!" he ordered the men. Jumping into action, Carson placed himself between the approaching men and the children. The man nearest to him raised his rifle and fired. Carson felt an excruciating pain in his shoulder as he fell to the ground. Trying to focus despite the pain, he did his best to get back to his feet. Another of the men turned on him and fired his weapon which stunned Carson into unconsciousness.

"Be careful, you idiot," leader said. "We need him alive."

Teyla slowly raised her weapon, but before she could fire, she herself was hit by the stunner. As she slipped into oblivion, she sent a silent plea to John Sheppard to hurry up. They needed him.


	2. Where are They?

Teyla could hear a voice calling her name, somewhere in the distance. The voice became more insistent, and a hand, that seemed to belong to the voice, gently shook her. Still Teyla could not force her eyes open. The voice became more urgent, and the hand shook her more forcefully.

She managed to force her eyes open this time, and looked up into the concerned face of John Sheppard.

"John," she said, her voice slightly weak. She looked around the cave trying to get her bearings. There she saw the large figure of Ronon inspecting a corner of the cave. Rodney McKay was standing in the entrance to the cave, looking out over the valley below.

A niggling doubt at the back of her mind was telling her that there was something wrong with the scene before her. But she couldn't force her befuddled mind to think straight.

"Sheppard," the rumbling voice of Ronon said. "There is blood over here."

John turned to Teyla, checking her over to see where the blood could have come from. But the mention of blood cleared Teyla's mind.

"Carson! Where is he? Is he all right?"

"He's not here," said John. "You were the only one here when we arrived."

"Typical Carson," said Rodney from the entrance. "Just like him to run away when the there is a fight going on."

The remark made Teyla sit up suddenly. It made her head spin and she reached out to John to steady herself. "But he did not run away," she said a note of indignation in her voice.

John and Ronon exchanged an anxious glance. "And the blood?" Ronan asked.

"It is his," Teyla said.

"Can you tell us what happened?" John asked gently.

"We had returned to the cave, to await your arrival," Teyla said. "Suddenly, six men appeared. They were heavily armed and when Carson tried to protect the children, they shot him."

"What were they after?" John asked.

"I am unsure," Teyla said. "But one of the men did say that they must not kill Carson."

"Who were these men?" Ronan asked.

"Again, I am unsure," Teyla said. "I have never seen them before. But they dressed in a similar fashion to the other people we have met on this planet."

"Okay," John said. "I think the locals have a lot of explaining to do. They certainly failed to warn us that not all the natives were friendly. And I would like to know just what is going on here. And where Carson may be."


	3. Why?

He slowly and reluctantly started to surface back to consciousness. The place he had been had felt safe. It was a place without pain, without fear, without worry, but something was echoing at the edge of his consciousness, something that was calling him, telling him to waken up. He realized it was the sound of crying intermingled with coughing.

"The children!" He thought to himself. His eyes snapped open and he found himself looking at the ceiling of a cave but it was not the same cave as he had been in before. This cave was dark and dank and very cold.

A small hand pulled at his sleeve. It was Calay. "Mr Doctor," she said. "Are you okay?"

Carson tried to sit up. He knew almost straight away, that it had been a bad idea. His head started to spin, and his shoulder shouted a reminder that he had been shot. He gave an involuntary groan. Calay's little hand slipped into his hand. "Are you really okay, Mr Doctor?" she asked, a worried expression on her little face.

Carson gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Aye, sweetheart," he responded. "I'll be fine."

"Well, I will be in time," he said, under his breath.

Struggling to his feet, Carson made his way over to the children. All five of the children, who had been in the cave had been taken with him. However, when he looked around to the cave, there was no sign of Teyla.

"Calay, sweetheart," he said, turning to the little girl. "Have you seen Teyla?"

The little girl shook her head. "The pretty lady?" she asked, looking up at him. When he nodded, she continued. "She isn't here. There's just us."

Carson looked round to the cave, hoping to find something useful. Hiding in the corner, he noticed his medicine case. "Thank the Lord for small mercies," he said. Getting to his feet unsteadily, he made his way over to his case. He opened it and checked its contents. Thankfully, it contained a reasonable supply of the medicine he had been using to ease the children's cough. If he used it sparingly, it would last several days.

He handed out small quantities to the children, but had to stop a moment when a coughing fit overtook him. With all his other concerns, he had forgotten that he himself seemed to be coming down with flu-like virus. Calay looked up at him, and solemnly handed him what remained of her medicine. He smiled down at her, and cradled her small head in his hand. "Thank you, sweetheart," he said with a gentle smile. "But I think you need it more than I do."

"How very touching," a sarcastic voice said from the entrance way to the cave. Carson turned to see the leader of the men who had abducted them. He had an evil smile on his face.

"What do you want from me?" he asked the other man. "And why have you taken the children?"

"Don't worry, Doctor," the leader said. "All will become clear in time."

He then turned to the men who had been waiting behind him. "Take him!" he ordered the two men nearest to him. They grabbed Carson, seeming to take delight in hurting his already wounded shoulder. "And take the girl!" he continued, the evil smile returning to his face.

Calay struggled as hard as she could, twisting and turning, to try to avoid being taken. Carson was worried that she might hurt herself or be hurt by the men, and gave her a soothing glance. "It's okay, sweetheart," he said. "I won't let them hurt you."

He hoped that he could keep that promise.


	4. Questions in the Village

As they made their way back to the village, Sheppard found his anger increasing. To make matters worse, he felt guilty. After all, it was his responsibility to make sure that all the Atlantis personnel were kept safe. He had left Carson and Teyla alone on the planet. It was beside the point, that in the past they'd more than proved that they could defend themselves. Their safety was ultimately his responsibility.

The planet had seemed safe. But past experience had proven that appearances could be deceptive.

Mingled with his guilt, was concern for his friend. Carson was always the one to look after other people. But there was a vulnerability about the doctor. His compassion often resulted in him putting the well being of others before his own. John was worried about what Carson might do if he was faced with a threat to the children.

When they reached the cottage that belonged to Sandro, the chief of the village, he took his frustration out on the door. Sandro and his family were sitting at the table, eating. When the door to the cottage crashed open, Sandro jumped to his feet in alarm. His wife also jumped to her feet, and their young son hid behind his mother's skirt.

"What the hell is going on?" John asked.

"I don't you are talking about," Sandro said, a puzzled expression on his face. John move towards him, but Teyla put a restraining hand on his arm. John looked down at her hand, took a deep breath, and reined in his temper slightly.

"Can you tell me why some local bully boys barged their way into the cave, shot Dr Beckett, stunned Teyla, and took Dr Beckett and the children?"

Sandro sunk back down onto his chair, a look of resignation on his face. His wife rushed over to Teyla and comforting hand in her arm. "Are you all right, my dear," she asked, looking concerned. "Those stunners can make you feel very dizzy."

"So you know who these people are?" Ronon's voice rumbled from the background.

Sandro nodded. "They are the Renegades."

"And who the hell are at the Renegades?" John asked.

Sandro glanced across at his wife, who nodded. "Many generations ago," Sandro explained. "Our society was considered barbaric. Any disagreement was settled by a fight, often using guns or knives. There reached a stage when we were in danger of killing so many of our population that our race would die out."

"That sounds like a familiar story," John admitted. "Many people could claim a similar history."

Sandro nodded. "To help preserve our race, our forefathers devised a scheme to allow fighting but also to preserve our people. A group of people lived in the southern continent. They were different from us, many said inferior. They were trained to be fighters. When two people had a dispute, they each picked a fighter, who would then fight to the death to decided to who was in the right."

"It's not something we're proud of," Sandro's wife broke in. "But it's part of our history nevertheless."

"In my father's generation," Sandro continued. "The Elders agreed to end this barbaric treatment. But some people disagreed, and split from the rest."

"The Renegades!" John said.

Sandro nodded. He looked absolutely miserable. Teyla approached him, and put a comforting hand on his arm. "Many of the people we have encountered, have gone through similar experiences. You cannot be held responsible for the actions of all your people." The last remark was accompanied by a pointed look at John.

"Yes, but why do they want Carson?" Rodney asked from the corner.

"I'd imagine," Sandro said. "They need some help in mending the damage done by the fighting. From what we've heard, their supply of fighters is limited. They keep killing each other off," he said with a touch of irony.

"But why should they take the children too?" Teyla asked.

"As leverage," Ronon said from behind her. "To the ensure Dr Beckett does what they want."


	5. The Fighters

The two men dragged Carson along a complex series of tunnels. He knew he should concentrate, and try to memorise the route. But he was finding it hard to focus. His surroundings all seemed to merge into a cloud of pain. The rough handling by the men had reopened his shoulder wound, and he could feel the blood dripping down his arm. And at the same time, just to add to his woes, the full effects of the virus were now beginning to kick in. All he really wanted to do was to curl up in his bed and fall asleep.

His mind wandered back to Atlantis, and he thought longingly of his room there, with its comfortable bed. He thought of his friends, and the comfort of knowing that they would look after him, in his current weakened state.

His wandering thoughts were brought sharply back to reality. A rough hand grasped his hair and pulled his head back. He found himself looking into the angry face of the leader of the men who had abducted him.

"Stay with us, Doctor," the man said. "If you aren't able to help us, there's no point in you being here. We might as well kill you. And if you are dead, what'll happen to the children?"

The words helped to focus Carson's mind. "What do you want me to do?" His voice sounded weak even to his own ears.

"Much better, Doctor," the leader said. "See those men over there?" He roughly turned Carson's head so that he was looking over towards the corner of the cave. He saw a cage taking up most of the back wall of the cave. In the cage, shackled and bleeding, were about 20 men. They were crammed in like animals, and they all seem to be injured in some way or another.

"Well, Doctor," the man said insistently. "Do you see them?"

Carson tried to nod in response, but the man still had a firm grasp of his hair. "Aye, I see them," Carson managed to croak.

"Good, very good," the leader said. "These are your new patients, Doctor. We need you to patch them up for us."

"Was there a fight?" Carson asked trying to make sense of what you're seeing.

"Something like that," the other man said. "You see, Doctor, we are far too civilised to fight." As he said this, he gestured towards the group of men who sat round the fire, on the other side of the cave from the cage. To Carson's eyes, the last thing they seemed was civilised. It was obvious that they had already consumed a large quantity of alcohol. And their behaviour reflected this. They were sitting round the fire, waving large tankards which obviously contained the alcohol, while threatening each other with numerous acts of violence.

One of the men who was sitting by the fire, called over to their leader. "Come on Mikal," he said. "Get your scrawny hide over here, and help us finish this keg. And stop worrying about the fighters. So what of they die off? We can just find some others to take their place."

The man sitting next to him thumped him round the head. "Don't be an idiot!" he said to his companion. "That would mean we'd have to do some work. I don't know about you, but that's something I try to avoid!"

The other men sitting round the fire, laughed and called out their agreement.

Carson felt as if he was in the middle of a nightmare. The men's behaviour, coupled with the stench of stale alcohol, reminded him of the worst of his student days. His timid nature and natural compassion, had set him apart from many of his peers, and had made him the butt of many of their jokes. For a moment, and his weakened state, he was transported back to those days, with his stomach churned with nervous tension and his naturally wry sense of humour all but disappeared.

Shaking his head, to clear the memory, he reminded himself that he was now a mature, respected professional, who had friends who valued him. And more importantly, there were five children, who were relying on him to keep them safe.

"So what do you want me to do?" Carson repeated his earlier question.

"We need you, Doctor, to patch up these men, so they can continue to fight. You see, when one of my friends here has a disagreement with someone else, we need to be able to choose a fit fighter to settle the dispute."

"Let me get this straight," Carson said, trying to make sense of what was happening. "When one if you lot have a disagreement, you choose one of the poor souls from in there to fight for you."

"Exactly, Doctor," Mikal said. "It's an excellent system, don't you think?"

"Excellent is not exactly the word I would use to describe it," Carson said. "Unfair, barbaric, downright stupid, might all hit the mark better," he continued, unable to hide his contempt for their actions. He was rewarded by a sharp pain in his shoulder, as the men who are holding him reacted to his words. Mikal grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him off his feet.

"Don't you forget for one minute, Doctor," the leader said with great menace in his voice. "You're not in a position to abuse our hospitality. We don't like people who criticise us. They're liable to find themselves dead."

"But who would patch up your fighters then?" Carson asked.

"You're not irreplaceable, Doctor," Mikal said warningly. "And then there are always these adorable children." The sarcasm in the leader's voice matched anything that Rodney had produced in all the years Carson had known him.

For a moment Carson had forgotten about the children. The feeling of responsibility felt more of a burden at that moment than anything else. The realisation that not only his life but those of the children, depended on his actions, filled him with fear and dread.

Calay was pushed forward by the man who was holding her. She sprawled on to the floor, crying out a she fell. Carson tried to move towards her, to comfort her. But the men who held him prevented him from moving.

"It's okay, lass," Carson said. "You're going to be okay. We're all going to be okay." It seemed Carson, if he said it often enough, they would actually be okay.

"Is that of the case, Doctor?" Mikal said. "We may be a civilised people, but we'll do anything to preserve our way of life. We left the rest of our people, because they didn't believe in using fighters to settle disputes. They even believed, fools that they are, that fighters are equal to us."

The rest of the men sitting round the fire laughed at his remark. "The fighters can never be our equal!" one of the men said. "They're savages!" another said. "They're only fit to die!" yet another said.

"So you see, Doctor," Mikal said. "We're determined to preserve our way of life, at all costs. So your petty little comments, are unlikely to change our minds. All we want you to do, is to patch them up, so they can continue their purpose in life, to fight for us. If you don't, we'll kill each child in turn. And when they're all dead, you too will die."


	6. The Wounded

At a signal for Mikal, the two men who held Carson dragged him forward towards the door of the cage. Another man stepped up with a large key and opened the door. Carson was pushed in and the door slammed shut behind him. He heard the key being turned in the lock.

Deprived of the support of the men, Carson almost stumbled. One of the men in the cage put out a hand to help steady him.

"Thanks, lad," Carson said, giving the man a grateful smile. He turned, rather unsteadily, towards Mikal. "Look, if you really want me to help these men, I need my medicine chest. It's back in the cave with the children."

Mikal nodded to one of the men who disappeared off the direction of the cave. In the meantime, Carson started to examine his patients. They all had suffered cuts particularly to their arms and upper bodies. It was obvious that the weapon of choice for the fighters was swords. As Carson moved among the men, he would ask them let him see their wounds, or to move slightly to let him pass. One or two, he asked if they were okay. The only response he got was a nod.

One particular patient was causing Carson some concern. He was lying in the corner, and seemed to be unaware of his surroundings. Carson crouched down beside him, and checked him over as best he could without his equipment. The man had a nasty gash to his forehead, as well as various other cuts to his arms and chest.

As Carson was examining him, the man seemed to regain consciousness. "Hello, lad," Carson said gently. "How're you feeling?"

From outside the cage, Mikal laughed. "Don't expect your patients to talk very much, Doctor," he said mockingly. "If you examine them a little bit further, you'll find they can't talk. It has something to do with the fact they don't have a tongue."

Carson gave him a horrified look, and then turned to his patient to check him out. Sure enough, the man had had his tongue cut out. He turned to the man on his left, his tongue had also been removed.

"What happened to them?" he demanded, turning to Mikal.

Mikal laughed. "They talked too much. We got fed up with the noise. Let that be a lesson to you, Doctor."

Carson turned back to his patient, unable to keep the horrified look from his face. These men were truly barbaric, and Carson vowed to do everything in his power to stop them, even if at that moment he felt truly powerless.

As Carson struggled to get his temper under control, the man arrived with his medicine chest. It was probably just as well, as it gave him the chance to concentrate on something other than his captors' behaviour.

The first thing Carson did when he got his equipment, was to take some painkillers himself. He then put some antiseptic ointment on his shoulder wound. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would keep him going until help could arrive. He then worked systematically, cleaning wounds, stitching them up, setting broken bones, and generally making the fighters as comfortable as he could.

All the time he was working, Mikal was watching him very closely. It was obvious that Carson would be very closely supervised at all times. Even if he wanted to escape, the presence of the children made any escape attempt virtually impossible. Calay had been held by one of the men, with a knife at her throat, the whole time Carson was working. As he moved around the cage, so the man with Calay moved too. They were obviously not taking any chances.

By the time he had finished, Carson was exhausted. His shoulder ached, though it seemed to have stopped bleeding. If he moved too quickly, his head started to spin, and his temperature ranged from freezing to overheated within the space of 5 minutes. All he really wanted to was to lie down, curl up, and go to sleep. But he knew that the children still needed his help. He needed to stay alert for their sake.

"Well, Doctor," said Mikal. "What is your verdict?"

"None of these men are in a fit state to fight," Carson said, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.

"That's too bad, Doctor," Mikal said. "If none of them are fit to fight, then we'll just have to go back to their village, and get us some more fighters."

One of the men close to Carson jumped to his feet and made a strangled noise. He kept shaking his head vigorously.

"Yes, you see," Mikal said. "That's the problem. The only fighters left at the village are a little on the young side. I'm sure some of your patients here will volunteer to fight, when the time comes, to save their little brothers and sons from this honour. Wouldn't you?" he said, turning to the men in the cage. A number of them, those who were able, jumped to their feet to indicate they would fight.

Carson shook his head sadly. What a way to live, what a way to die. But there was nothing more he could do about it at that moment. His only hope was that John and the others could mount a rescue attempt. Carson had to believe that Teyla had survived the attack and would be able to tell the others what had happened. Not only did he have to believe that a rescue attempt would be made, he couldn't imagine a world, a galaxy without Teyla. He could certainly do with her calm diplomacy, and fighting spirit at the moment. The way he felt, he'd even be grateful for Rodney's presence.

Carson's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the key turning in the lock. One of the men grabbed him, and dragged him out of the cage.

"Your work's finished for the moment, Doctor," Mikal said. "But don't worry; I'm sure we'll have plenty more for you to do soon."

As Carson and Calay were escorted back to the cave, he tried to memorise the route. This time he was more successful, he reckoned he could find his way back to the main cave, if he needed to.

As soon as they reached their prison, Carson is surrounded by the children, all wanting his reassurance. Palo, Calay's little brother, although clambered up into Carson arms. It took all of Carson's concentration not to drop him, especially with his damaged shoulder. But the little boy cuddled up to him, needing the security of the physical contact. Carson had to admit that he could understand that need.


	7. Rescue Plan

John Sheppard paced up and down like a restless tiger. The others sat round the table, follow his progress.

"We don't leave any of our own behind," he said emphatically.

"No one is disagreeing with you, John," Elizabeth said in a gentle voice.

"We know how Carson hates going off world, yet we keep forcing him to do it."

"Dr Beckett volunteered to go," Teyla reminded him. "He was anxious to help the people."

"That only makes it worse!" John said.

"And that's why we're going to ensure we get him back," Elizabeth said in a reasonable tone. She was determined to make sure that John's feeling of guilt didn't hinder their rescue plans – once they had put together a rescue plan that is.

"Why don't we just attack the Renegades, and free Dr Beckett and the children?" Ronon said favouring his usual direct approach. "We've enough men to overpower them easily, from what Sandro told us."

"Just two small problems," Rodney pointed out. "We don't know where the Renegades are, and they might just kill Carson or the children if we attack. Force isn't always the answer. Sometimes using your brain first is really, really helpful." Ronon just glared at him.

Rodney was feeling the strain too. Carson was his friend, and Atlantis seemed empty without his comforting presence. And for once, Rodney's expertise seemed useless in helping his friend.

"We have any idea where the Renegades are?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, Sandro said they have some idea of the area in which they operate. They seem to use a variety of cave systems, and tend to move around a great deal."

"Sandro did say they need to move around to find new people to fight for them," Teyla said.

"Yes, strangely enough, they don't get many volunteers," Rodney said, his sarcasm firmly in place.

"So," Elizabeth said. "If he could find what villages they are currently raiding, we might find the Renegades. But how will that be easier than finding the Renegades themselves?"

"Sandro says that there are about three or four isolated villages that were used by previous generations to take people to use as fighters before the system was banned. The people who lived there were considered inferior. From what they know, the Renegades still use the same villages."

"That is why the Renegades need Dr Beckett," Teyla said. "They only have a limited supply of fighters, and Sandro believes that they need Dr Beckett's medical skills to ensure the fighters can continue to fight."

"So if we find the villages," Elizabeth said. "We can follow the trail back to the Renegades."

"Can I point something out?" Rodney asked. All eyes turned to him. "I don't want to be a party pooper here, but if they need Carson, it may well be that there's no one left in the villages to fight."

"Yes," John said, drawing out the word to give himself time to think of a reply. "But then they might be able to tell us where the Renegades are."

"They might also help us," Ronon added. "They must hate the people who force them to fight to the death, simply to settle their arguments."

"It's worth a try," John said. "It's better than doing nothing."

All eyes turned Elizabeth, awaiting her decision. She looked at them, weighing up the options. One thing she hated about her job, one of the few things, was the heavy responsibility of deciding what to do when one of her people was a danger. If she made the wrong decision, then someone could die. The thought of losing Carson was more than she could bear. He was her friend, her confidante, her shoulder to cry on. Without him Atlantis would be a much lonelier place.

Her eyes met John's, and lingered for a moment. Then she nodded. "Go ahead," she said. "And bring Carson home."


	8. Maudlin Midnight

_Thanks to everyone for the Reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying this. I'm fairly new to the Stargate Altantis universe, but it has been great fun immersing myself in this world. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy/_

Carson was woken by coughing – his own. He got up from the bench he had been trying to sleep on, and checked on the children. They all seemed to be asleep, blessed by the oblivion it brought.

He went over to his medicine chest and took out the precious supply of cough medicine. He had started to dilute it with boiled water to make it go further. Although the supply was limited, he decided to take a small amount himself. It would help no-one if he was too ill to look after them. He also took a couple more painkillers.

If he was honest, he felt awful. His temperature was all over the place. He wasn't sure if it was due to the virus or if it was due to an infection from the wound in his shoulder. His shoulder was agony. He couldn't move it now. The bullet was still in there, and it needed to be removed as soon as possible.

Since he came to the Pegasus Galaxy, Carson had found himself in some dire situations. His life and those of his friends had been threatened more often than he had thought possible, and by more dangerous foes than he knew existed.

This time he was alone. He had to protect the children, but they were his responsibility. There was no-one else there to help him. There was no John, with his wry sense of humour and his natural instinct to survive. There was no Teyla, with her calm presence and years of experience evading the Wraith. There was no Ronon, with his intimidating presence and incredible fighting skills. There was no Elizabeth, with her diplomatic skills and common sense. There wasn't even Rodney, who for all his annoying qualities, had saved the life of his friends on so many occasions. There was just a lonely doctor from Scotland who was rapidly running out of strength and ideas.

Carson sat sipping the cough medicine, contemplating what his options were. All his instincts as a doctor said it was wrong to patch up the fighters just so they could fight each other again, possibly resulting in death. But then, since he had arrived through the Stargate onto Atlantis, he had done so many things that he hadn't thought he was capable of. They were on the frontline there, and their actions had reflected this.

He closed his eyes briefly, and the face of Perna floated into his mind. His experience with the Hoffan people had been his first indication of how different life was going to be here in the Pegasus Galaxy. The fact that they had been willing to sacrifice half their population in a bid to defeat the Wraith had stunned him. The fact that he had been influential in giving them the means to do this had shattered him.

And yet that had only been the beginning of the compromises he had had to make. His moral compass had swung back and forward so often of late, he wasn't sure in which direction it was pointing.

Now he had another challenge to his beliefs as a doctor. He had to weigh the wellbeing of the children, and the other villagers who might be forced into being fighters, with the wellbeing of the current fighters.

It was a no-win situation. Whatever he did, someone would suffer. How often had that happened since he came here? Sometimes, especially in the middle of the night when his defences were lowest, he wondered why he came here. Life was much easier when he worked on Earth. His moral dilemmas had seemed less complex, more straightforward. His beliefs in humanity, and its basic goodness, had not been challenged.

But then, when morning came, and another day started, with its moments of boredom, and long stretches of frenetic activity, he remembered why he wanted the challenges of this mission. The chance to stretch the boundaries of medicine, and to work on pioneering treatments, often working on instinct as much as fact.

But at that moment, at night's low point, feeling ill, and alone, he felt the call of his home. He wished he could hear the night sounds that had comforted him as a boy growing up in Scotland. The sound of the wind rustling in the trees, and the water lapping against the shore. He bowed his head, trying to stop the tears from falling.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling in the corner. Rubbing his eyes with his sleeve, he looked up. It was Calay. She had woken up too. Sleepily rubbing her eyes, she walked over to him, and climbed up onto his knee. She gave him a sleepy smile and then cuddled up to him, her head resting on his good shoulder.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, wondering if she was having a relapse.

She nodded. "I's cold," she said, her voice slurred with sleep.

Carson smiled and rested his cheek on the top of her head. Soon her breathing indicated she had fallen asleep again.

Somehow, this simple human contact was comforting. Carson smiled at himself. "Stop being such a maudlin fool, you big Jessie," he told himself. "There is always hope. There has to be."


	9. Fighting Casulties

Carson woke a couple of hours later, feeling even worse than he had before. His muscles felt stiff from sitting awkwardly, his head ached and his shoulder felt as if it were on fire. He tried to move slightly, without waking Calay, but she must have sensed his discomfort, and opened her eyes.

"Hello, Mr Doctor," she said softly. A small, soft hand reached up to Carson's face and she gently stroked his cheek. She reached up and gave him a soft kiss and then jumped down from his knee, and went over to the other children.

Carson put his hand up to his cheek where she had kissed him, and gave a gentle smile. The innocence of children was a wonder to behold. They seemed to find peace wherever they were. As he touched his cheek, he realised that a beard was beginning to make an appearance. There was barely enough water to wash, never mind shave, even if he had something with which to shave.

As he moved to stand up, the pain in his shoulder made him stop and catch his breath. The dull ache of yesterday had definitely been replaced with a much sharper pain. Added to which, he felt as if he were on fire. It was difficult to check his shoulder. The top he was wearing didn't have buttons and with his shoulder the way it was, there was no way he could take it off over his head. That left cutting it off. But it was the only protection he had against the cold, damp conditions in the cave.

He managed to pull his top away from his neck enough to get a glimpse of his shoulder wound. It was definitely inflamed. The infection hadn't spread much beyond the wound site as yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time before it did. The wound needed to be opened up, the bullet removed and the wound cleaned out thoroughly. But there was no-one here who could do that. He could hardly treat himself, even if he had practiced yoga, he wasn't flexible enough for that.

He made do with a couple more painkillers and some of the antiseptic ointment he had left. That would have to keep him going for now. Surely his friends were devising some plan to help rescue him and the children.

As he went over the check on the children, he heard noises coming from the main cave. They were distant noises, distorted by the echoing corridors, but even so, he was able to identify them as the sound of fighting. His heart jump, briefly, with joy. Maybe this was the rescue attempt starting. However, as he listened, his heart fell again. He could hear his 'hosts' clapping and cheering. He could also hear the clash of steel as two blades met in repeated conflict. The fighters were obviously being put into action. That would mean his skills would soon be needed to patch up the wounded.

It wasn't long before Carson's thoughts became a reality. Two of Mikal's men flung open the door to the cave and grabbed Carson. He had been giving cough medicine to the children when they came in, but that didn't seem to matter to the men. They pulled him roughly to his feet. One of the men almost fell over one of the children as he grabbed Carson. The little boy tried to get out of the way, but didn't move quickly enough. The man kicked the child out of the way.

Carson's reaction was to push the man with all his strength. He toppled over, surprised by the attack. He grabbed Carson again, and very quickly drew his knife and held it to Carson's throat. Carson closed his eyes, sure that his last moments had arrived.

"No Varti," the other man called out. "We need him alive." Varti grunted and pushed Carson forwards. He fell to his knees, jarring his shoulder as he did so. The little boy who had started the scuffle, shrank back into the corner, afraid of what might happen next.

"It's OK, lad," Carson said gently. "Don't you worry about a thing. I won't let them hurt you. Okay?" The little boy nodded, as Carson was dragged to his feet again and pushed out of the cave. As they were leaving, one of the men snagged his medicine chest as well.

Carson was taken a slightly different route to the one he had been taken before and found himself in a large, very barren cave. In the centre, sand covered the floor. There were dark patches on the sand, which looked like blood to Carson's trained eye. Round the edges, cut into the rock were tiered seats. They were now empty, but it didn't take much imagination to see Mikal and his men sitting there, cheering on the fighters and drinking as if it were about to go out of fashion.

But Carson didn't take much time surveying the scene. His attention was very quickly taken up by the four men who had been dragged to the corner of the cave. He looked them over quickly. Two of them were dead. He sighed sadly as he gently closed their eyes. The other two were alive, but in pretty bad shape. One had a long deep gash in his thigh. The muscle had been cut too. He wouldn't be able to walk for quite along time. The other one was holding his arm limply. Carson gently lifted his hand away from his arm. A deep cut ran across his arm. A tendon had been severed and his hand hung limply.

"Well done!" he said harshly to Mikal who had just come into the cave. "Your latest shindig means you've no-one else left to fight."

Mikal shrugged. "We'll just need to raid another village," he said, indolently.

Carson turned on him. "Do you not see how idiotic this all is? You're wasting these men's lives, killing them, maiming them, for sport!"

"And you're point is, doctor?" Mikal asked, approaching Carson, his body language now threatening. He looked down at the doctor, almost daring him to attack.

"My point is," Carson continued, trying to retain what little patience he had left. "These people are just like you. They are flesh and blood, just like you. They feel pain; they feel fear; the feel sorrow. Why do you treat them like this? Can't you see they don't deserve to be treated like animals?"

Mikal grabbed the front of Carson's top and pulled him towards him. His face very close to Carson's, he snarled at him. "These people are not like me. They are worse than animals and should thank us for giving their lives meaning." With those words, he threw Carson backwards, making him fall on the ground, jarring his shoulder.

"Just who are the animals here?" Carson said under his breath.

"What was that, doctor?" Mikal asked.

"Nothing," Carson said. "I'll see what I can do for these two. But they won't be fit to fight for months, if ever."

"Do what you can, doctor," Mikal said dismissively. "If they can't be fixed, then we will put them down, just like we did the other two."

"You killed them?" Carson's voice rose in disbelief.

"They had served their purpose," Mikal said. "If they can't fight any longer, then they're no use to us. Why should we continue to feed them?"

The leader then turned on his heels and left.

Carson sat there, shaking in anger and in reaction to events. He could not comprehend the inhumanity of these people. How could they treat other human beings this way? Shaking his head sadly, he turned back to the men he was treating. He would patch them up the best he could. At least he might be able to prevent them being "put down" because they were useless.


	10. What More Can Go Wrong?

John wriggled slightly in the undergrowth, trying to find a slightly more comfortable spot. They had taken 2 hours to walk to the villages that Sandro had mentioned. Three of the villages were deserted, burnt out shells of shattered dreams. John could tell that Sandro had been shocked by the state they were in. It was obvious from the scattered signs of everyday living, that the villages had been abandoned in a hurry, perhaps forcibly abandoned.

They were now watching the one remaining inhabited village. To John's eyes it looked little better than those they had abandoned. The buildings the people lived in were little more than mud huts, most in a state of complete disrepair. The pathways between the huts were mud tracks, and there was a general air of despondency about the place. Perhaps most shocking of all, there didn't appear to be any males over 14 years of age.

John could tell that Sandro had been even more shocked when he saw the state of the remaining village. Even now, his expression was thoughtful.

Beside him, John felt movement in the undergrowth. Rodney squirmed in beside him.

"What shall we do now?" he asked. "I don't think there is anyone there who's going to be able to help us free Carson and the children?" He nodded down towards the village.

"For once, Rodney," John admitted. "I agree with you. Those people there couldn't fight off a cold, never mind the Renegades."

"Do you think they will help us to find them?"

"I don't know," John said, his face serious. "Sandro said he thought they might. But I have to agree with Teyla, they look so defeated, I'm not sure they will be prepared to help."

"What more can go wrong?" Rodney asked.

"Don't say that, Rodney," John said sharply. "Every time you say that something else does go wrong."

"That's hardly my fault," Rodney said huffily. "Just because I have a more realistic view of the universe than most, there is no reason to blame me for my perception."

"Yeah" John said. "But which universe do you inhabit, Rodney?"

"I think I'll go back over and join Sandro," Rodney said with a sniff. "He at least seems to appreciate my insights."

"You do that, Rodney," John said.

Just as Rodney started to move, the sound of horses galloping filled the air. Rodney turned to John, a worried expression on his face. They both edge forward to get a clearer picture of the village below them.

At the entrance to the village, a group of men appeared on horseback, dressed in black leather.

"They are some of the men who took Carson," Teyla's voice sounded quietly in their ear-pieces.

"Now see what you've done," John said to Rodney. "You and your 'what more could go wrong?'."

"I can hardly be blamed for this planet's Neanderthals arriving like something out of a bad gothic novel," Rodney said, reasonably.

"No, but if you'd . . . ." Before John could continue their argument, the leader of the men strode forward. He raised his hand for silence and surveyed the people of the village, who all looked scared out of their skins.

"Rodney was right," John thought to himself. "It is like something out of a bad gothic novel."

"We have come to claim our reward," the man was saying. "We require the services of your men to fight for us. We demand you bring them to us."

John looked round, and noticed that all the young boys who had been there earlier had vanished. He couldn't blame them. If he'd been in their position, he would probably do the same thing. Well, maybe not. He would probably have found some way to attack them, but the end result would probably be the same.

At a signal from the leader, two of the men dismounted and started systematically searching the huts. Before long, they had found two young boys, both looked about 12.

"Is that all?" the leader asked, giving the villagers an intent look. "Two new fighters isn't going to last us very long. Surely you have more that we can use."

At that moment, two even younger boys, one about 6, the other about 8, ran into the village square. They had obviously been playing and hadn't noticed the new arrivals.

"Ah, very good," the leader said. "We have two more volunteers."

One of the woman ran forward, in tears. "You can't take them, my Lord," she said, her voice shaking. "They are only young, they are not of age."

"You are here to serve our needs," the leader said in a dispassionate voice. "We chose who we use, not you. Take them!" he ordered the men nearest to the boys.

"No!" the woman cried, throwing herself at the men.

One of the men slapped her across the face, with such force that she fell to the ground. One of the boys then started to attach the man, hitting him round his legs with a stick he had been holding.

The man raised his hand to hit the child. Before he could do anything further, he was halted by a bellow of rage. Out of the undergrowth, a large figure of a man, long hair flowing behind him, sprang at them. There was vengeance on his face.

"Don't touch the boy!" Ronon Dex's voice held more than a hint of steel. "Or you'll be very, very sorry."

Before the man could react, Ronon had knocked him unconscious with his stick and held his sword at the man's throat.

"Let the boys go," he ordered. The men looked at their leader, uncertainly. "I said let the boys go." Ronon repeated even more forcibly.

"Oh, boy," John said.

"What do we do now?" Rodney whispered.

"You stay here," John whispered back.

"And what are you going to do?" Rodney asked.

"Something I'll probably regret later," John replied. With that he got up to his feet and approached the village.

"You heard what he said," John called out. "Let the boys go."

The leader looked at them both, obviously trying to weigh up their options. After a moment, he nodded to the men holding the boys. "Release them," he ordered.

John smiled, relaxing slightly. "See," he said. "That wasn't too hard, now was it?"

"No," the man agreed. "After all, why should we take boys, when we have men we can take to fight for us instead?"

With those words, he signalled the men behind him. Two stepped forward and raised their weapons. Before either Ronon or John, had a chance to move, they were hit by a beam from the weapons and fell to the ground, stunned.


	11. They Did What?

_Thanks again for the comments – it is good to know that people are enjoying this. _

"They did what?" Dr Elizabeth Weir whirled round and looked at the three people standing in front of her. "And you did nothing to stop them?"

Rodney looked like a school boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Teyla stood calmly and Sandro had an anxious, worried look, that had been his permanent expression since he arrived on Atlantis.

"There was nothing I could do, Elizabeth," Rodney said, trying to convince himself as much as Elizabeth. "Our resident hot-head just jumped in as usual, without thinking, and then Sheppard decided he had to be hero, again." He turned to Teyla for support.

"I believe Rodney is right, Dr Weir," Teyla said. "There was nothing we could do. Ronon was protecting a young child who was being terrorised by the Renegades."

"But why did Colonel Sheppard decide he had to get involved?" Elizabeth asked, letting her exasperation show.

"I believe," Teyla replied calmly, "he was hoping to distract the Renegades to allow Ronon to escape with the child."

"And had his usual success rate when faced with 10 angry natives," Rodney added.

"Thank you, Rodney, I did realise that," Elizabeth said.

"We did manage to track them to their cave system," Teyla added. "We now know where Colonel Sheppard and Ronon are being held. There is every likelihood that Dr Beckett and the children are there as well."

"We can at least be thankful for small mercies," Elizabeth said, half to herself.

"How many Renegades are we likely to face?" she asked.

It was Sandro who answered. "As far as we know, there are only about 40 of them," he said, nervously. Coming through the Stargate seemed to affect him in much the same way as it did Carson. "We haven't got accurate numbers, as we've not had anything to do with them in a long time."

Elizabeth nodded. "Do you know the layout of the caves?"

Sandro shook his head. "It is not part of the cave system that we know very well. However, as we speak, some of my people are investigating the area and will report back once we return to my home."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows questioningly. Up until now, Sandro and his people had been passive. They did not seem to want to take any action that would bring them to the attention of the Renegades. They had been willing to act as guides, but not take an active role in any offensive.

"We now wish to help as much as we can, Dr Weir," Sandro said, starting to sound more confident now. "When I saw how the villagers were living, I felt ashamed. We have ignored their plight for so many years. In many ways, it makes us as bad as the Renegades. By doing nothing, we're condemning them to slavery. I've spoken to my people, explained what I saw. We're not going to let the Renegades continue this way of life. Even if you aren't willing to help, we will make sure that they can't continue their way of life."

"Very noble," Rodney said. "But you can't just go in there all guns blazing, or they'll probably just kill all their prisoners and probably some of you too."

"Really, Dr McKay," Sandro said, a note of sarcasm coming into his voice. "I would never have thought of that."

Elizabeth hid a smile. She was beginning to see why Sandro was a leader of his people. When he first arrived, he seemed so timid and anxious; she found it difficult to envisage him as a leader. But now, as he recovered from the shock of travelling through the Stargate, she saw another side of him.

"Your assistance is much appreciated, Sandro," Elizabeth added. Touching here ear-piece she started to put the plan into action. "Major Lorne, put together a team to mount a rescue mission, as discussed. We will be getting help from the people on the planet."

"Yes, ma'am," came the reply in her ear.

"Sandro," she said, turning to the leader. "May I ask what your plans are for the Renegade?"

She was apprehensive about his answer. She would feel uneasy to order her people to take part in an attack that could precipitate a civil war, or lead to the deaths of a group of people.

"We are not a violent people, Dr Weir," Sandro said, recognising her apprehension. "But what the Renegades are doing breaks the law of our land. We have facilities where law breakers are retained. The Renegades will be house there. If they choose to denounce their former lifestyle, they will be allowed freedom, of sorts, until they prove their worth to our people. If they don't, they will be retained in our facility indefinitely."

"Yet in the past you've just let them break the law, without punishment," Rodney pointed out. "Isn't it abit late to start developing a social conscience?"

"Is it ever too late to do this, Dr McKay?" Sandro responded. "We can't ignore the past, but we can change things in the future."

"Well, I wish you luck. You're going to need it. Now if you'll excuse me, I've a rescue mission to mount."

With this remark, he left. Teyla and Elizabeth exchanged amused glances. "Has anyone told Major Lorne that Rodney believes he is in charge?" Teyla asked Elizabeth, an amused smile playing round her lips.

"I think Major Lorne will soon find out," Elizabeth said, with an echoing smile. "I also think, from past experience, he will allow Rodney to **think** he's in charge.


	12. Reunion of Sorts

Carson was woken from a fevered sleep by the arrival of two of their captors. If he was being honest with himself, he was feeling absolutely lousy. The infection round his wounded shoulder was spreading and his whole shoulder felt as if it was on fire. His body thermostat was definitely set to over-heat, and he felt as weak as a newborn kitten.

He lifted his weary eyes to look at the men, the usual bright blue faded to grey.

"Come on, Doctor," one of the men said. "You've got visitors."

The remark peaked Carson's interest, but it took too much energy to show it. He allowed himself to be dragged onto his feet and along the corridors. His feet weren't moving very well on their own, but held between the two men, he was able to shuffle along the corridor. Each step, however, jarred his shoulder, and by the time the arrived at the main cave, Carson was only just able to cling to consciousness.

"Welcome, Doctor," Mikal said when he noticed his arrival. Carson stood before him, his head bent, as he tried to focus on staying upright. "You're not looking too well, Doctor," Mikal noted. "Maybe you're not such a good doctor as we were told."

Angered into a response, Carson looked up. "Aye," he said. "And maybe if you'd stop arguing, I wouldn't have to use all my supplies patching up the damage it causes."

"Tut, tut, Doctor," Mikal said. Then his gaze turned menacing. "Remember, if you annoy me, I would ask for a fight, I'll just take out my annoyance on one of those very appealing children in your care."

Carson lunged towards him, but Mikal easily avoided him, leaving Carson to sprawl on the ground, too weak to get back onto his feet.

"Now, Doctor," Mikal said. "Here I was, being nice to you, and all you do, is to threaten me."

Carson just looked at him, with no energy left to do anything else. Mikal just laughed.

He moved towards Carson, and dragged him to his feet. He then pushed him towards the cage at the far end of the cave. Carson let himself fall against the bars. He was vaguely aware that two men within the cage jumped to their feet.

Mikal unlocked the door, and pushed Carson in. As he fell, Carson was aware of two sets of hands reaching towards him, trying to break his fall. He looked up into the familiar faces of John and Ronon.

"Thanks," he managed to say. Then a horrible thought crossed his mind. "They didnae . . . .?" He couldn't continue.

"They haven't cut out our tongues," Ronon answered the question he was unable to voice.

"Yet!" John added. "Apparently, that is the reward for completing your first fight."

"Ahh," Carson said, relief evident in his whole demeanour.

"I hate to say this, Doc," Ronon said. "But you look awful."

"Thank you, lad," Carson said ruefully. "That just about sums up how I feel too. Bloody awful."

"What's wrong with you, Carson?" John asked, his concern for the doctor evident in the gentle hand he put on the doctor's arm.

"Just an infected wound, and a touch of flu," Carson said, sighing.

"Just!" John said. "I'm surprised you're still on your feet."

"I'm only just managing it," Carson admitted. He looked at them, a faint look of hope in his eyes. "Was this part of the rescue plan?"

"Not exactly," John admitted with a grimace. "Ronon's sense of justice overwhelmed his sense of self-preservation, and we had to do abit of thinking on our feet."

Carson smiled up at the Satedan. "I know how you feel, lad," he said. "These idiots," he nodded towards their captors, "could try the patience of a saint."

"And I'm no saint," Ronon admitted, eliciting a grin of agreement from John.

"Are you going to be okay, Carson?" John asked, looking at the pale face of the doctor, as he was overtaken by an attack of shivering.

"Aye, I will in time," Carson said. "I feel fair wabbit, peely wally, and drookit wi' sweat, but I'll be fine."

Ronon looked at John, puzzled. "Did you understand any of that?" he asked.

"I think he is feeling ill at the moment, but he will get better," John said, his tone uncertain.

"Aye, lad," Carson said, "that just about covers it."

"Carson, have you any idea what they will do with us?" John asked. "They said we would replace the injured fighters."

"Aye," Carson said. "All the fighters are unfit to fight. Next time a couple of our hosts out there have a disagreement, they'll force you and Ronon to fight."

"What if we refuse?" John asked.

"That I dinnae know," Carson admitted. In his weary state, his accent seemed stronger than usual. "But they may well use the children as incentive. They've done that to me. Forced me to do things by threatening them."

"Typical cowards' reaction," Ronon said, dismissively. "Using those who can't defend themselves to force the issue."

"We just need to delay things as much as possible," John said. "Teyla and McKay followed us here." Ronon nodded. He had noticed it too. "And they will be working out how to get us out, as we speak." John continued.

"Now that's a frightening thought," Carson said with a smile. "Just think o' the complicated plans Rodney could devise to get us out o' here."

"Teyla will keep him in order," Ronon said confidently.

"And Elizabeth will make sure they've got the firepower we need. And not just in Rodney's hands." John added. "And you know Carson, Rodney will be keen to get you back in one piece. He doesn't trust any other doctor to look after him."

Carson smiled. "Aye, just because they all shout at him even more than I do, lad."

"There's another one who would try the patience of a saint," John responded, thinking of all the times he had come close to losing his temper with Rodney himself.

"Och, but his heart is in the right place," Carson said.

"You should know, doc," Ronon said, with a grin. "You have to check it's still beating often enough."

Carson started to laugh, and then continued to cough, the coughs wracking his body making him wince in pain.

John got a glass of water and held it to the doctor's lips. "Are you sure you're okay, Carson?"

"How many times are you goin' to ask me that before you believe my reply?" Carson managed to ask between coughs.

"Maybe when you admit how ill you are, I'll start believing you," John responded.

"I'll be fine, lad," Carson repeated. "I just need to get home, and then I'll be fine." He said it almost as a prayer, as if by repeating it, it would come true.

Just at that moment, the door to the cage was flung open, and Mikal's large form took up the whole area.

"Well, gentleman," he said, with a sarcastic smile. "You're time has come. Two of my friends have had a disagreement, and we need your assistance to settle the matter."

Ronon and John exchanged glances, and Carson, fell back against the wall trying to hide the welling fear he was feeling. Just what would they do to his friends? And what would it cost them?


	13. Time is Passing

The rescue team gathered at Sandro's village. Teyla glanced over at McKay, who had a worried expression on his face – even more worried than usual.

"Are you alright, Rodney?" she asked the scientist.

"Of course I'm not alright!" he exclaimed. "Two members of my team, and one of my closest friends are being held by modern-day Roman barbarians, and I'm stuck here, in this pathetic excuse for a village, waiting until they decide which of the numerous routes they should take to the barbarian stronghold so that we don't get seen."

Teyla just looked at him. "Okay," he conceded. "At least I have you for company, but can't they just do something!"

As if they had heard his remarks, Sandro and Lorne broke away from the group and came towards Rodney and Teyla.

"We've decided to split up into two groups," Lorne said to Rodney and Teyla. "You are both with me and Sandro will lead the other group."

"And which route will we take?" Rodney asked. "I trust you've chosen the most direct route. Time could be of the essence here. Carson has been holed up there for days, suffering from a gunshot wound, and at this very moment Ronon and Sheppard might be fighting each other to the death, or at least to preserve their tongues."

"I'm sure they will appreciate your concern," Teyla said, slightly surprised at Rodney's reaction.

"I do have a heart," Rodney said, noting her reaction. "Carson has confirmed that on a number of occasions. He has the pictures to prove it. I just don't believe in getting all emotional over trivialities." His last remark was accompanied by a pointed look at one of Lorne's team.

"It's no crime to cry over a movie," Lieutenant Michaels said, wishing for the umpteenth time that the person to find her crying over a sad movie hadn't been Rodney McKay.

"Yes," Rodney retorted, "but when it's Lassie, then I seriously doubt your emotional stability."

"Dr McKay," Major Lorne butted in. "Please leave my team alone. I have no problems at all with the emotional stability of any of my team." He turned and smiled at Lieutenant Michaels. "But that's more than I could say of some other teams," he said under his breath, so that only she could hear. His reward was a big grin.

"That's all thanks I get for laying my life on the line yet again, to save members of this expedition from certain death. If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead many times over, Major," Rodney said, indignation in his voice.

"Rodney," Teyla intervened. "I'm sure that Major Lorne and the others very much appreciate the contributions you have made to the safety of Atlantis. However, this is a military situation, and although you have proven yourself in such situations on many occasions," Teyla managed to ignore the snigger that came from Lieutenant Michaels at this point, "it would be as well to let them decide what the best course of action is."

"Thank you, Teyla," Major Lorne said, giving her a smile. "If it's okay with your Dr McKay, I'll continue the briefing."

"Don't mind me," Rodney said, with a wave of his hand.

"Sandro will lead his team into the back entrance his men found to the caves. It doesn't look as if it's been used in years, but they don't think it's blocked. We'll take the more direct route." He gave Rodney a sharp glance at this point. Rodney just sniffed. "This should take us to the front entrance of the cave. Sandro and his men will create a diversion, and that is when we'll attack. Our main objective is to release Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, Dr Beckett and the children. What Sandro chooses to do with the Renegades is up to him. Does everyone understand?" A series of nods greeted his remark. "Very well, then, let's go!"

OoOoO

Two of Mikal's men grabbed John and another two grabbed Ronon. A third quickly jumped into help the two holding Ronon as his struggling made it difficult for the original two to hold onto him. Another man grabbed Carson, who was too weak to fight.

All three were dragged out to the entranceway of the caves. There was a natural amphitheatre there which had been enhanced by the circle of stones the Renegades had added. This was obviously the fighting ring. John quickly looked round for the children. They weren't there. He heaved a sigh of relief. At least they weren't going to use them to force Ronon and him to fight. He noticed Carson was doing the same, and the two men exchanged a smile to shared relief.

Carson was dragged over to the side, and John and Ronon were both pushed into the ring of stones.

Mikal raised his hand for silence from the gathering of Renegades that sat on the stone sides to the amphitheatre.

"Gilo and Karim had a disagreement today," he announced. "They disagreed on whether it would rain or not. To settle their dispute, a fight was called, and here we are."

John looked at Mikal in disbelief. They were being forced to fight over a debate on the weather. He looked over at Ronon who was all but snarling at the Renegade leader. For a man who had fought many battles over matters of life and death, it seemed a bit of a let down to be forced to fight over rain.

Mikal raised his voice again. "The weapons will now be displayed."

Two men approached with swords laid out on large cushions. One presented a sword to John, the other to Ronon. Neither of them took the weapon.

"Take the swords!" Mikal ordered. Neither man moved. "You will fight!" Mikal announced. Still neither man moved. Mikal looked at them both through narrowed eyes.

"You think you are clever," he said. "Do you honestly think no-one has tried this before? We are not the fools you obviously take us for. Gilo, take action."

The man, who had brought Carson out, pushed him forward. He stumbled and fell, too weak to save himself. Another man dragged him back to his feet, and quickly bound his hands. Gilo then pulled Carson over to a large pole that had been driven into the ground. He then dragged Carson's hands over this head and bound them to the pole. Carson let out a cry of agony as his damaged shoulder was forced to rotate to allow his hands to go above his head.

Gilo then picked up a large scourge. It was made of leather, and had three thongs to it. Each thong had pieces of metal or stone tied into it. Gilo first whipped the scourge against the ground, drawing up dust and marking the stone. Then he turned towards Carson . . . . .

OoOoO

OK, so it's the weekend, and I thought I'd leave you with a nice cliffhanger.


	14. The Fight

_Thanks for the Reviews and encouragement. This installment is slightly longer than the others, but I'm not sure if that will help the anxiety or not. I've upped the rating for this one as it involves pain and anxiety and the fear of losing a friend._

OoOoO

Before either Ronon or John could move, Gilo flayed the scourge across Carson's back. The doctor tried his best not to react, but a soft moan escaped from his lips. Ronon let out a bellow, and charged towards the doctor. John was just a step behind him. But before they could get very far, they were forced to slide to a halt. Between them and the doctor, were two very large men, carrying equally large guns.

"Not a good idea, gentlemen," Mikal said. "And every time you have a bad idea, the good doctor will feel the consequences." With that, Mikal signalled to Gilo, who seemed to take delight in using the scourge on Carson's back yet again.

John and Ronon looked at each other, pain and frustration reflected in both their eyes. John sighed, then nodded at Ronon. Both men turned, and silently picked up the swords that had previously been offered to them. The two men looked at each other again, bowed, and then cautiously circled each other within the stone ring.

OoOoO

"Aren't we there yet?" Rodney whined for the umpteenth time.

Teyla and Lorne exchanged glances. Lorne often wondered how someone as obviously intelligent McKay could prove such a liability in the field. He didn't know how Sheppard could cope with having him on his team all the time.

"Dr McKay," Lorne said, trying to keep his voice soft. "Since we are almost there, please keep your voice down so we don't get spotted."

"Why didn't you just say something," Rodney said indignantly.

"I thought I just did!" Lorne said, almost losing his patience.

At Lorne's signal, the team crouched down behind a rock formation. They could now hear the voices of the Renegades as he started to cheer the fight we were watching. Teyla and Rodney exchanged worried glances.

Rodney carefully raised his head above the rocks, to see what was going on. What he saw, did nothing to alleviate his worry. Within a stone ring, John and Ronon were cautiously circling each other, large swords in the hands. Even more worryingly, he saw Carson. He was tied to a stake, blood running down his back. He looked as if he was unconscious.

Rodney slumped back down to the ground.

"What is it, Rodney?" Teyla asked worried by his reaction.

"I'm not sure if Carson is still alive," he said his voice shaky. "If he is, he would be for long. And John and Ronon look as if they are about to cut each other to pieces."

Lorne gave him a sharp look. Then carefully lifted his head above the rocks. Moments later, he too slumped to the ground looking anxious.

"For once McKay," Lorne said. "You're not exaggerating."

"We've got to do something quickly," he said. "If we don't, three people could die out there while we're here just watching."

"We can't do anything until we've heard from Sandro," Lorne said emphatically. "We can't possibly take on all those men ourselves. We need the distraction and we need the extra men. Without that, it'd be a suicide mission."

OoOoO

John and Ronon circled each other cautiously. Neither wanted to strike the first blow, but if they did nothing, Carson would suffer more. It was John who took the first action. He swung his sword in a clumsy arc towards Ronon's head. The large man easily parried the blow. The Satedan looked at John, his eyebrows raised. Sword fighting was obviously not one of John's accomplishments. He would have to adjust his own actions to suit.

Ronon slowly swung his sword around his head, and equally slowly swung it down to connect with John's sword. John always dropped his weapon with the strength of the contact.

Ronon tried to hide his smile.

"If," he thought. "No, when," he corrected himself, "we get out of this, I'll need to give Sheppard some lessons in the use of swords."

John again swung his sword, and this time aimed at Ronon's body. The blow was easily parried again.

"Now, gentlemen," Mikal said. "You need to do much better than that. I like to see blood. Since you can provide it, I'll have to find it from another source."

With that, he again signalled to Gilo. John and Ronon both turned in horror as the Renegade again flayed Carson. This time there was no reaction from the doctor. John wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

OoOoO

Rodney looked on in horror. "We need to do something, now!" he said to Lorne, an urgency in his voice. "They're going to whip Carson to death right front of our eyes," he said his voice close to tears. Teyla put a comforting hand on his arm.

"I think it's a scourge," one of Lorne's team said, rather unadvisedly.

"I don't care what it is," Rodney said his voice rising in anger. "It's killing him."

Thankfully, his voice was masked by the noise from below. The clashing of swords was accompanied by the baying of the crowd. Rodney raised his head again, to see what was happening.

OoOoO

Both men in the ring realised that need to do something, anything, to stop them scourging Carson. John started to swing his sword around and aimed a blow at Ronon's arm. Ronon made a half-hearted attempt to block it, but allowed the sword to slice into his arm. John nodded in acknowledgement of the sacrifice.

The men sitting around the ring started to cheer and shout encouragement, obviously excited by the sight of blood.

As the two men circled each other again, John glanced up and noticed a familiar head above the rocks behind them. He managed to manoeuvre himself so he was close enough to Ronon to whisper that help was on the way. Ronon nodded very slightly to indicate that he had heard.

OoOoO

Lorne looked at Rodney, wishing for once, but he wasn't leading the team. The thought that his actions, or inaction, could lead to a man's death, was bad enough. But that man should be Dr Beckett, one of the most popular people on Atlantis, made it even worse.

Just as he was deciding what to do, his earpiece sprung into action.

"Major!" The disembodied voice said. "We've freed to the children, and we're now in position."

Lorne said a silent prayer of thanks. Turning to his team, he signalled them forward. They moved with a speed that showed their impatience.

Organised chaos ensued. An explosion rang out, distracting the Renegades as planned. The two teams then rushed into action, charging towards the ring of stones and the Renegades who were sitting around it.

When they were planning the attack, Sandro had said he didn't want any of the Renegades killed unless it was absolutely necessary. With this in mind, the teams were armed with Wraith stunners as well as P-90s. As instructed by Lorne, they firstly targeted the two Renegades who were carrying guns. Then, almost simultaneously, Mikal and Gilo were stunned into unconsciousness.

Ronon and John, already alerted to their colleagues' presence, reacted quickly. Turning from fighting each other, they focused their attentions on the Renegades sitting around the ring, baying for blood.

The Renegades put up surprisingly little fight. Most of them were at least half way to being drunk. They also hadn't fought for themselves in so many years, that they didn't really recognize a threat when it hit them in the face (sometimes literally).

Within five minutes of the start of the fight, it was all over. Mikal, Gilo and the others were tied up and sitting in the stone circle. The guards who had been in the caves had been brought out and were placed with their comrades.

John and Ronon smiled at each other and slapped hands in celebration of a fight well fought. Teyla and Rodney ran over to join their team-mates.

"Did you see that," Rodney said to John. "I shot that Renegade. That one there!" he said, pointing to one of the men who was lying unconscious on the ground.

"Was that before, or after Ronon had hit him over the head with his sword hilt?" John asked. Teyla smiled.

Then, suddenly, a thought hit them all at once.

"Carson!" Teyla was the one to voice it. They hurried over to the doctor, who was being gently cut down from the stake. Two members of his own staff pushed their way through the crowd of people to tend to him.

As he slumped on the ground, John's heart was in his mouth. The doctor looked gray and lifeless. His eyes met Ronon's where he saw his own fear reflected in them.

The doctor who was examining him looked up, a look of almost panic on her face.

"I can't get a pulse!"

OoOoO

_OK – another weekend cliffhanger for you. There are probably just another chapter or two to go before you, and Carson and the others, are put out of their misery._


	15. The Debriefing

"Then try a bit harder!" said Rodney McKay, pushing his way through the crowd. "We didn't go to all that trouble, just have him die on us!"

John turned round, ready to give Rodney a piece of his mind for his insensitive remark. But one look at his face silenced John. Rodney's face was etched with worry and fear. There were tears standing in his eyes, ready to fall down his cheeks at a moment's notice.

Teyla had also noticed Rodney's reaction, and placed a comforting hand on his arm. There were tears in her own eyes.

The other medic joined his colleague in tending Carson. "Let me see," he said gently, lifting his young colleague's hands away from Carson. With a serious expression on his face, he pressed his fingers to the doctor's neck and held them there for a few moments. There gathered crowd was silent, so silent that you could almost hear the flowers grow.

He looked up at John and Rodney, a glimmer of hope at his eyes. "I've found a pulse, it's faint, but is definitely there."

Rodney heaved a huge sigh of relief that was echoed by a number in the crowd. The doctors then got to work, rigging up IV's, and doing all the other things that Carson himself normally did. It was very strange to see them being done to Carson, rather than by him.

John turned to Ronon, and smiled up at him. "You okay, big guy?" he asked, nodding at the cut on his arm.

"Yeah," the big man said, "it's just a scratch. You'll really need to brush up on your skills with a sword, Sheppard."

"I think I'll stick with my P-90," he replied with a grin.

Before he could say any more, there was a flurry of activity around Carson. The medical staff had finished stabilising the doctor, and he was now being carried swiftly towards the Gate. John, Rodney and the others all hurried after them.

Progress towards the Gate was not as swift as anyone really wanted. They had to stop on several occasions to check Carson's condition. John wasn't really sure what they did on each occasion, but the worried expressions made him realise that Carson wasn't out of the woods yet.

When the Gate came into sight, John felt a real sense of relief. Part of that was a Carson could now be treated using all the technology available in Atlantis, but another part of it was he was glad to be going home.

As they walked through the Stargate, they were greeted by an anxious looking Elizabeth. She nodded to John and Ronon, then quickly hurried over to the stretcher carrying Carson. She reached an unsteady hand down to touch his chest, concern very evident on her face.

"Carson," she said in a soft voice. "What have you done to yourself?" She looked at the doctors who were with him. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

"We will know more once we get him to the infirmary," came the reply.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she looked at John. "It's good to see, in one piece," she said, smiling. "And your report should certainly make interesting reading."

"We do our best to entertain," he said, trying to keep a light tone, while his worried eyes followed the disappearing form of Carson.

Elizabeth tried to smile in response, but her eyes betrayed her worry.

"Once you've been checked out in the infirmary, there will be a debriefing in my office."

John nodded, and then headed to the infirmary.

OoOoO

It was a subdued group who met Elizabeth's office for the debriefing. The medical staff were still working on their Chief. No one was willing to say if he was going to make it, or not.

"Right," Elizabeth said, drawing their attention. "Tell me what happened, right from the beginning."

Between them, they gave her a detailed account of what has happened, as far as they knew. Lorne had stayed behind on the planet to speak to the children. He had been able to report what they knew of their captivity.

"All the children," he reported, "seem to be well on the way to a full recovery. They said that Dr Beckett made sure that none of them were hurt. One of the girls, Calay, asked me if he was okay. She said he wasn't well all the time they were there. She said she would give him some of her medicine to make him better."

Teyla wiped a tear away from her eye, before I could fall.

"Sandro gave me some of Dr Beckett's things, that they found in the cave." He put a bag of items on the table.

"I will sort through them," Teyla said. "To ensure that all Dr Beckett's things are in order when he recovers, and he will be able to find them easily."

Elizabeth nodded. "What will happen to the Renegades now?" she asked.

"Sandro said they would be given a choice," John replied. "If they are willing to be integrated into the community, they would be allowed to live in the village, under heavy supervision, at least at first. If they weren't prepared to give up their old life, they would be held in the prison cave, indefinitely. I got the feeling," he continued. "that Sandro and his people can be very unforgiving if the need arises."

"The people who were being forced to fight have all been returned to their villages," Teyla added. "They are being offered medical supplies and any other assistance they might need to allow them to lead a normal life."

"I said to Sandro we'd help in any way we can, within reason," John added.

Elizabeth nodded. Just at that moment her earpiece was activated.

"We have news of Dr Beckett," the voice said.


	16. After the Suffering

_Since I've been making you suffer with cliffhangers over the past few days, I thought I'd be kind and give you this all at once. Do you like happy endings?_

OoOoO

From the look on the other's faces, their hearts were beating as fast as hers.

"We've now got him stable," the voice continued. "We have cleaned out his shoulder wound and removed the bullet. We cleaned the wounds on his back. We're giving him an intense course of antibiotics."

"It is he going to be okay?" Rodney interrupted impatiently. Elizabeth smiled. For once, Rodney asked the question she was wanting to ask.

"Didn't I say that?" The voice said, distractedly. "Sorry, yes, he's going to be fine. He'll not be fit for duty for a while, and he'll need skin grafts on his back, but he's going to be fine."

"Thank you, doctor," Elizabeth said. "Can we see him?"

"Not just yet," the doctor said. "We've got him sedated, and I want to keep it that way for another few hours or so, to give his body time to start the healing process."

"Very good, doctor," Elizabeth said. "Let me know when he's awake."

"Well, I'm glad our rescue heroics were not in vain," Rodney said, a big smile on his face.

"I will tell Sandro," Teyla said. "He asked if we could let him know any news we had of Dr Beckett."

Elizabeth nodded, and those who had gathered for the briefing, started to file out of the room. John paused briefly before he left. "He's tougher than you think," he said, smiling at Elizabeth. She nodded.

"I think he's tougher than he thinks too," she said.

OoOoO

Carson could feel himself slowly coming back to consciousness. His body ached, and his eyes seemed reluctant to open. Then, at that moment halfway between sleep and awakening, he remembered. He remembered the fighters forced to kill each other; and the pain of the scourge on his back. But most of all, it was a children, ill and afraid, who forced him out of sleep.

His eyes opened, shining a vivid blue. He struggled to get up, murmuring to himself, "the children, I must check the children."

A gentle hand was placed on his chest, slowly pushing him back towards the bed.

"It's alright, Carson," a gentle, but familiar voice said.

"Elizabeth?" he murmured.

"Yes, Carson," she replied. "You're home now, here on Atlantis."

He looked around at the familiar scenes of the infirmary, and let out a sigh of relief.

"And the children?" he asked.

"They are all fine," Elizabeth replied. "They're now back with their families, being well and truly spoiled I hear."

Carson chuckled. Then another thought struck him. "John and Ronon?"

"They're both fine too," she replied, smiling. "I believe Ronon is training John in fencing now. I don't think he was too impressed with his swordsmanship."

"Ah, Dr Beckett," one of the nurses said, coming towards his bed. "You're back with us I see. Let's see if we can make you a bit more comfortable."

Elizabeth took this as a signal that it was time for her to leave. With a gentle smile and wave, she left the doctor to the auspices of his staff, who had promised to make sure he got the best care possible.

OoOoO

Sandro had contacted Elizabeth once he had heard that Carson was on the mend. He and his people wanted to organise a "thank you" event. He explained that it was their custom, when something significant happened to his people, that they celebrated this, and invited everyone who had been involved in it to attend. Sandro wanted his friends from Atlantis to be there. He also said that Calay would make everybody's life a misery until she saw for herself that "Mr Doctor" was okay.

Elizabeth was smiling at the memory of the conversation with Sandro as she approached the group congregated by the Stargate. It was good to see Carson on his feet again, even if he was holding himself very carefully to avoid hurting his back further.

"About time!" Rodney said, noticing Elizabeth's arrival. "We were about to send out a search party."

"Now you know how I feel," Elizabeth said. "Every time you're late returning from a mission."

"Now, children," John said. "We're meant to be on our best behaviour, remember." He grinned at Elizabeth as he threw her own words back at her. She grinned back.

"May I say, Dr Weir," he continued. "You're looking very nice today." Elizabeth looked momentarily taken aback at his complement. But quickly recovered her composure.

"You're not looking too bad yourself, Col Sheppard," she retorted.

"Now we've got the mutual admiration society out of the way," Rodney interjected. "Can we get going?"

Elizabeth glanced at Carson, and they exchanged an amused smile.

"Nothing much changes, I see," Carson said with an affectionate grin at Rodney.

"It is the promise of a feast," Teyla explained. "That has made Dr McKay, and Ronon, so eager to return to the planet."

"Now I understand," Carson said his grin getting wider. With that, the assorted group went through the Stargate.

They were greeted on the other side by Sandro, and a group of villagers who were holding garlands of flowers. Each of them received a garland of flowers. Ronon had to bend almost double to allow the little girl who had his garland to put it round his neck. Carson smiled to himself when he saw it, particularly since the little girl had been one of the children who had been abducted with him. It was nice to see her giggle as Ronon thanked her.

As they entered the village, they saw that all the houses had been festooned with flowers, and at the far end, much to Rodney's delight, there was a table laden with food. As Carson looked round, he saw many familiar faces: those of villagers he had treated; their families; and even some of the fighters who had been released from their captivity. He was rather thankful that none of the Renegades were there. Sandro had explained that although many had agreed to give up their old ways, they were still being carefully supervised, for their own protection as much as anything else.

The visitors were led to a raised platform where they were seated with great ceremony. Carson was grateful that his seat was padded at the back but he still sat down very carefully.

Sandro stood up and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"As is our custom," he said. "When we celebrate a great moment in our history, we like to share this with those who made the journey with us. Today we welcome our friends who joined us from through the Standing Circle. To you all, and especially to you Dr Beckett, we owe a debt of gratitude. You cared for people, and taught us a valuable lesson. You made us look at ourselves honestly. You made us realise that to do nothing can be just as bad as to do the wrong thing. And you were prepared to risk your own lives to protect us. For that we will always be grateful, and we owe you our future.

"Dr Beckett," Sandro continued. "My people especially wanted to honour you. Our children are our future, and you protected them with your life. Please accept this token to show our appreciation of what you did."

Calay came forward, very carefully carrying a delicate pottery dish. Her face was very serious as she concentrated hard on what she had to do. As she approached him, Carson got to his feet, aided by a steadying hand from Ronon.

When Calay reached him, she looked up at him and gave him a lovely smile.

"Dr Beckett," she said carefully, struggling with the unfamiliar name. "The children wanted to give you this to say thank you." With those words she handed the dish to Carson.

He took it carefully, and when he looked inside the dish, it was filled with the sweets that the children loved to eat.

He looked up, smiling. "I like to thank you for this honour," he said. "I was glad to be able to help. And it has been a joy to spend time with your children."

With those words, he gently lowered himself back onto his seat. Now that her task was over, Calay reverted to her usual self. With a big grin, she climbed up onto Carson's knee, and snuggled up to him. Elizabeth managed to rescue the pottery dish as Carson tried to juggle with both it and Calay with only one good arm. He gave her a grateful smile.

Sandro sat down, and then to the surprise of many, Teyla got to her feet.

"Sandro told me that amongst his people it was customary for a song to be sung to celebrate such an event. He asked me if I would sing such a song."

A small group of musicians then joined her, playing a simple, but haunting, melody.

As she started to sing, she looked directly at Carson. When he heard the words of the song, he looked up, a very startled expression in his blue eyes.

_With their eyes alight with mischief_

_Mixed with innocence and purity_

_They reach into a part of us_

_That's longing to be free_

_From all the pain and from the suffering_

_The general worldly weariness_

_That reaches to our souls and back_

_And weighs our spirit down._

_Suffer the children_

_With their innocence and purity_

_Suffer the children_

_Grant them freedom from all pain_

_Suffer the children_

_Protect them from our bitterness_

_Suffer the children_

_That through them we might be free._

_When their eyes are dim with suffering_

_Mixed with hurt and their bewilderment_

_They reach into a part of us_

_That's longing to protect_

_Them from the trials and tribulation_

_The complex ideologies_

_That reaches into our hate and fear_

_And weighs our families down._

_Suffer the children_

_With their innocence and purity_

_Suffer the children_

_Grant them freedom from all pain_

_Suffer the children_

_Protect them from our bitterness_

_Suffer the children_

_That through them we might be free._

_But their eyes should shine with wonder_

_Mixed with joy and expectation_

_They should reach into a part of us_

_That's longing to rejoice_

_In all the beauty and simplicity_

_The love and understanding_

_That reaches to our souls and back_

_And sets our spirits free._

_Suffer the children_

_With their innocence and purity_

_Suffer the children_

_Grant them freedom from all pain_

_Suffer the children_

_Protect them from our bitterness_

_Suffer the children_

_That through them we might be free._

When she finished, a moment's silence followed before everyone started clapping.

"That was beautiful, Teyla," Elizabeth said. "Is it a song from your people?"

"The melody is," Teyla said, looking directly at Carson. "But the words are not ours."

Elizabeth followed Teyla's eyes. A suspicion began to grow in her mind, and a wide grin spread over her face. "Carson," she said. "Did you write those words?"

"Don't tell me you write poetry, Carson?" Rodney said, a note of amazement in his voice.

Carson's face was turning red. "I've been known to dabble abit," he admitted, almost reluctantly.

"And why didn't you tell me?" Rodney demanded.

"Well, when you've been called a sissy for writing poetry in the past, it makes you reluctant to admit to it."

"It was beautiful, Carson," Elizabeth said, putting a hand on his arm, and sending a warning glance Rodney's way.

"I didn't say it wasn't," the scientist retorted. "I was just surprised that Carson had written it."

Teyla approached Carson. "You are not annoyed with me for using it, are you Carson?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, love," he responded. "It just took me by surprise, that's all. Where did you find it?"

"I was sorting through your things which Sandro had returned to us while you were ill. I found it there."

"Thank you, love," he said with a smile. "You turned it into a beautiful song. And you made even those words sound good with your beautiful voice."

It was Teyla's turn to blush. "Thank you, Carson," she said, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Why does she never do that to me?" Rodney asked John, as they both stood observing the scene.

"Because you haven't written any poetry," John replied, logicially. "Woman like that sort of thing."

"I could write poetry if I wanted to," Rodney said, slightly defensively.

"Of course, Rodney," John responded, sardonically. "Now let's get some food, before Ronon eats it all!"


End file.
